Party Hard With Some Regrets
by Dobby101
Summary: Everybody knows that Sandy gets pregnant and leaves Soda, but what makes her cheat on such a perfect boyfriend? Sandy doesn't exactly know either.  OneShot.  Review please!


-1**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters. SE Hinton does.**

**A/N: So, my first one-shot for Outsiders. This is about Sandy getting pregnant and why she did what she did. I love all constructive criticism. Anything you can think of as long as it's not a flame. Reviews are more than appreciated! **

**Happy reading!**

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I strolled along, side-by-side my boyfriend, on the way to one of Buck Merril's parties. We usually don't go there because Soda's brother Darry doesn't like him around a lot of drinking and wild happenings. But what Darry doesn't know won't hurt him right?

It was a crisp autumn night outside. The moon was shining bright over Tulsa and the stars that glittered the sky resembled my sequined top that I only ever wore to parties. Soda seemed to like it, having looked me over three times when he picked me up at my house. We were walking because my parents grounded me from using their car after I brought it back with a small dent in it. It wasn't even that big of a dent, just a small nick above the front right tire that had gotten there when some Soc had thrown a beer bottle at me while I drove along. We didn't mind that much though. I loved being alone with Soda.

Today was our five month anniversary, but we didn't get anything for the other. I wasn't expecting anything either because I knew how Soda's family was in the hole with money. His older brother working two jobs and his younger brother the brightest greaser I ever met, they were trying to save up for college for him. It seemed like a long shot, but I knew they would be able to do it because Darry's football determination and Soda's lovingness towards his family gave them the heart to work all the extra hours they pulled in. In truth, I admired and wanted a family like the Curtis'. They always stuck together through everything and when their parents died, they became as tight as ever. Darry even gave up his own dream of finishing his own education for his brothers. I wondered if my own brother would do the same for me.

Soda slung his arm around my shoulder and pulled me in closer to his body as we walked. I began to remember all the nights we walked around for hours like this, having nowhere in particular to go. Usually we ended up in one of Buck's spare bedrooms, but there's no need to go into that, is there? Sometimes Steve - Soda's best bud - would come with us with his on-again, off-again girl, Evie. I liked Evie a lot, though she sometimes dressed a little too provocative and dabbed her eye shadow on a little too thickly. She was a nice girl, though and her parents were divorced, so she just lived around Tulsa with her father, who really had no clue how to take care of a girl, which is why she gets away with so much.

But tonight, Steve and Evie weren't with us, though we would probably see them at the party. We would probably see every one of the Curtis gang at Buck's besides Ponyboy and Darry. Dally basically lives at Buck's, so he's there almost everyday. Two-Bit can't resist a party where there were so many girls just willing to throw themselves at him and then there's Johnny Cade. He follows Dally around a lot. Soda told me once that his parents beat the tar out of him on a daily basis, so I feel bad for the kid. Not to mention he looks like he's thirteen instead of the sixteen he is, so he will probably never get a girl that will hang all over him. Every time I see him at a party, he's usually sitting by himself on the couch or something. Sometimes Soda and I will go over to him for awhile, but we don't often because one) we're too busy doing who-knows-what or two) Soda doesn't want Johnny to feel like a charity case.

Buck's was just up the road from where we were at and I could already hear Elvis pounding on the speakers. It was going to be a real wild night because we were only one couple walking up the road towards the bar. There were about twenty other people walking every which way on our pathway. Some were reeling drunk and others looked like they had just rolled out of bed, heard of a party and then decided to go without getting properly dressed. Not like there were any dress codes at Buck's. Though people liked to pretend like there were. For guys like Soda, shirtless is good and for girls - well - let's just say "all or nothing" goes well around here.

We let ourselves in because it was obvious from the sound that nobody would hear a knock on the door. The lighting inside was dim and sort of blue. Beers were in just about everybody's hands and the music was coming from a speaker set up in every corner of the room. People were dancing anywhere they felt like it and I wanted to badly join them. But before we could, Soda always insists we walk around a little bit so we can see who's all there. I don't know why we do it, but I think it has some reason that Soda does have certain people he doesn't want to associate with. As we walked, we went past the couch, where drugs were laid out on the table and people who wished to get high flocked around it. That stuff wasn't for me, though. Sure, I drank, but drugs always seemed a bit disgusting to me.

To my surprise, I didn't see Dally anywhere. In fact, I hadn't seen Dallas Winston in weeks. Must be in the cooler for doing something incredibly stupid and then getting caught for it. Soda didn't mention anything though like he usually does. I shrugged. It wasn't really my business anyway. Girls weren't supposed to care whether or not another greaser guy was in the cooler unless it was there boyfriend. If that was the case though, Sylvia really shouldn't be all over Tim Shepard in the middle of the dance floor. But what else could you expect from a slut like her?

"Come on, let's dance," I said, grabbing Soda's arm before we could make a full rotation around the room. I pulled him out to the middle of the floor, swaying my hips in tune to the music. I have to say, I'm not much of a dancer, but Soda always makes me do crazy things. That's why I love him so much. He may make me get a jumpy feeling in his stomach and whenever I see him, he has me second guessing my looks, but at the same time being comfortable, but that's why I love him.

Soda pulled me closer to him as Elvis flowed in through one ear and out the other. We moved together, not caring whether anybody saw us. When we first started going together, people used to watch what we did like they were hawks hunting down food. I never really understood, but I think it was because Soda was so good looking. Mostly it was girls who watched us, or a guy who was flying down the wrong side of the highway, if you know what I mean. I knew Soda was good looking and sometimes felt like I was going to lose him to one of the better looking girls who come up to him on a regular basis. It could happen as fast as lightning, a cute broad comes up and Soda just leaves me in the dust. Was it stupid of me to worry? Soda says it is, but I don't believe him. I know I'm not the best girl around and not like when the greasy boys like.

I can't help it though. My face breaks out terribly when I put on a load of make-up just like everybody else and I end of having acne for a week or so. And it's not just little dots, either. I get those big gross disgusting ones that would leave scars on my face if I picked at them. It's so disgusting that in seventh grade, I stopped wearing it all. My face has been clear since, but I still don't look like a greaser girl should and it bothers me. The only thing that keeps me from going back to the thick shades of purple and pink are the taunts that still play out in my head once in awhile. The boys always staring at my head a little longer than they should have.

Soda leaned down as a slower song came on and pulled me a lot closer than all the other couples. We could have had a thin piece of notebook paper between us and have no worries that it might fall. It might have been a little bit crumbled when we moved apart, but it definitely wouldn't fall. We kissed once before I buried my head securely in his chest, taking in his smell. It was of fresh soap and shampoo, meaning he had probably taken a shower right before he picked me up at my house. I liked this smell better than the one he usually carried after he just got off from work, but as long as it was Soda I was with, I didn't care.

I could feel him playing with my hair and got goose bumps just from his touch. I hated when he did that to me, but I suppose that's what love is supposed to feel like. After the slow song ended, I was pulled over to a card game that Soda had probably noticed when we were dancing. Soda sure is one heck of a gambler, though he doesn't have a lot of money to spend. I don't like poker, so whenever he plays, I sit there bored out of my mind, being the good girlfriend and not leaving his side. He knows I don't like the game and that I find it boring just to watch, but I don't think he can just step away and look on from afar. He has to be apart of the action somehow or someway. That's just the way he is and he always makes it up to me later.

So, Soda was dealt in a hand and, like he always does, he showed me his hand. I don't understand what all the suits are or even what will make a decent pair, so usually I just look at it briefly and then smile like I know what's going on. But, really, I have no clue and just sit there with nothing to do but watch the others enjoy a nice game or get drunk. A lot of drinking goes on at the card table, but Soda doesn't take any. He's just not a drinker. I'll take a swig every once in awhile, but usually with Soda I stay away from it. He has that power over me.

As I sat there, I noticed that Soda was digging more money out of his pocket than he probably made that day at the DX. It wasn't like him, but, as usual, the boys around the table knew just how to press the right buttons and get more and more money out of the innocent, like Soda. They were hustlers and I knew I couldn't just call them out on it while Soda was still in the game. That would mean that even more money would be taken and Soda wouldn't have any left for his own needs. Darry probably needed help with buying the groceries or something and the money being dished out by Soda was most likely just what would have been used to pay for it.

I leaned over casually, pushing some of his hair back so his ear was in clear view and whispered, "Don't ya think ya spent enough for the night?"

Soda looked over with a confused expression on his face. He probably didn't even realize what he was doing. At the Curtis house it's different when you bet money because sooner or later, you're going to get it back, even if it's not directly. That whole gang will go anything for one another, so even if they're just buying you a Pepsi or meal down at the Dingo, it's like your paying for yourself because it had been your money in the first place.

I honestly thought he was going to stop because Sodapop Curtis almost always listens when I warn him about something, unless he has a strong intuition otherwise. But when he just shrugged me off and pulled another dollar bill out of his pocket, something inside me burst like a bubble. Okay, so I normally don't get mad at Soda, but something in my gut boiled over the side. I sat up from the table, giving a little sign to my boyfriend that if he didn't look up and acknowledge me then, I was going to leave, but Soda didn't do anything.

I flicked my hair out of my face and turned around swiftly on my heel, trying to maneuver my way through the throng of people. It was hard and at one point I got a whole mug of beer spilled over the front of my shirt, but I kept moving because I didn't want to be here anymore. I didn't even know why I snapped like that. It wasn't like it was my money Soda was throwing away, but the thought that he was wasting away money that could help his brother go to college gave me a small tugging feeling in my stomach. It was horrible and I never thought that Soda could ignore me like that.

Just about when I was about to push open the door, a strong hand grabbed my skinny little arm and pulled me into a dimly lit corner. I tried to push him away, but he was too strong for me. So I settled down a bit and took a look at him. I knew exactly who it was. A boy a year younger than me, but that had probably seen much more. Curly Shepard was holding me in place. I never really talked to anyone in the Shepard family, not even Angela, who was the only girl I knew of that was anywhere near my age. Tim never paid attention to any girl who was off limits unless it was Sylvia when she was with Dally. But Tim knew the deal that when I was with Soda, he wouldn't let me near him. I wonder what my boyfriend would think now.

"Hey, where are ya goin'?" Curly said, letting go of my arm. At first I thought he was going to let me go, but noticed that he was ready to pounce if I so much as made a move towards the door.

"Home," I answered automatically and registered the flick of excitement in Curly's eyes. They seemed ready to chase me down wherever I went.

"Oh, come on, we can have our own little party upstairs." Curly made a move like he was going to kiss me, but stopped while he was leaning down. I don't know why, but I was making no attempt to stop him.

"I have a boyfriend," I tried to say, but it didn't come out as forceful as I may have liked. I think he could sense fear like an angry grizzly.

"Well, why aren't ya with him?" Curly asked lightly, not seeming any bit intimidated that I could have a boyfriend that was much bigger than him. He sure was a lot like Tim. "A pretty little thing like yourself shouldn't be left alone. I could gladly accompany you upstairs, into a bed of your choice."

I don't know why, but I tried to glance over to where Soda was supposed to be, but the crowd had filled in the path so that I couldn't even see an inch of the table where all the card players were at. Then I figured if Soda hadn't come after me yet, he most likely wasn't going to. Had he even noticed I left? Was there already a girl on his lap, telling him what cards to play because she knew the game perfectly and could assist in winning his money back? Another something, different than the bubble that had popped inside me, clicked and for some reason, I didn't let my conscious guide me into doing anything reasonable. I grabbed Curly and led him through the people, going to the room that I had last been in with Soda.


End file.
